Owen Cooper, the 16-year-old star of Adolescence, achieves a historic milestone by securing the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series at the Actor Awards. This victory marks him as the youngest individual winner in the event’s history, eclipsing the previous record held by Kate Winslet, who was 20 when she won for her role as Marianne Dashwood in the 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility.
Breakthrough Role in Adolescence
Cooper earns the award for his intense portrayal of a 13-year-old schoolboy who commits a murder in the miniseries Adolescence. He outperforms a competitive field, including Stephen Graham, who portrayed his character’s father and co-created the series with Jack Thorne.
Unable to attend the ceremony in Los Angeles, Cooper sees presenter Damson Idris accept the award on his behalf. Idris jokes, “I’ll be taking this home, thank you.” His absence stems from filming Cry to Heaven, Tom Ford’s upcoming adaptation of Anne Rice’s 1982 novel about a castrated nobleman in 18th-century Italy who rises as an opera soprano. The star-studded cast includes Adele, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Nicolas Hoult, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Thandiwe Newton, Paul Bettany, Ciaran Hinds, Hunter Schafer, and Lux Pascal.
Ongoing Awards Dominance
Cooper’s success builds on prior triumphs with Adolescence, filmed when he was 14. Last September, at age 15, he became the youngest male actor to win a Primetime Emmy for a supporting role in a limited series. Backstage, he shares, “This means so much to me and my family, people back home.” He notes his UK friends were likely asleep, adding they would be “over the moon.”
In January, while preparing for GCSEs, Cooper claims the youngest-ever Golden Globe for best supporting actor on television, ranking as the second-youngest overall winner after Ricky Schroder’s 1980 honor at age nine. In his speech, he reflects: “What started off as what I thought I might be okay at… I took a risk and went to drama classes. I was the only boy there. It was embarrassing but I got through it.” He emphasizes, “I’m still very much an apprentice, still learning every day from the people who have inspired me.”
Adolescence also celebrates wins for Stephen Graham and Erin Doherty, highlighting the series’ awards season sweep.
Actor Awards 2026 Highlights
Film Categories
- Cast in a Motion Picture: Sinners (Warner Bros)
- Male Actor in a Leading Role: Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
- Female Actor in a Leading Role: Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
- Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
- Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Amy Madigan – Weapons
- Stunt Ensemble: Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Paramount)
Television Categories
- Ensemble in a Drama Series: The Pitt (HBO Max)
- Male Actor in a Drama Series: Noah Wyle – The Pitt
- Female Actor in a Drama Series: Keri Russell – The Diplomat
- Ensemble in a Comedy Series: The Studio (Apple TV)
- Male Actor in a Comedy Series: Seth Rogen – The Studio
- Female Actor in a Comedy Series: Catherine O’Hara – The Studio
- Male Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series: Owen Cooper – Adolescence
- Female Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series: Michelle Williams – Dying For Sex
- Stunt Ensemble: The Last of Us (HBO)
